Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

on the pitch, take two

This morning, Rob joined me for my second go at soccer practice. I avoided some of the same mistakes of my first practice and learned a few new things. Who knew hitting headers could be such dizzying fun?

We had nine players, so we scrimmaged four on four, with one sub on the sidelines. (Rob ended up on the opposing team.) With so few players on each team, we didn't have assigned positions, meaning everyone was running up and down the whole field. I felt a bit guilty about it, but, lacking the stamina keep up with all the running, I tended to keep back a little, focusing on defense. When another player, winded and sore, needed to stay back, I moved up to a more offensive position and surprised myself with a second wind and occasionally decent footwork with the ball. My team lost the scrimmage, but by the end, I think everyone was too exhausted to care about victory or loss -- just escaping the sun and getting some water.

I still have a lot to learn and a lot of practice yet to do before I'll be of any use to a team. I would have to pick one of the most exhausting sports around to get involved in. But I'm having fun so far, and I know that if I push myself enough, it'll go a long way towards getting me back in shape. I'm committed enough to the venture that I'm going to take the plunge and invest in some real soccer cleats and another pair of shorts as a kind of birthday present to myself.

In the meantime, I'm thinking about resuming regular visits to the gym on off-days so I can train a bit on the cardio machines and build up my stamina. Hopefully, seeing results on the field will prove to be a good incentive to keep up with the gym.